In case you haven’t heard, the New York Rangers are open for business.

Honestly, what a fall from grace it’s been for a team that was two wins away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in 2023-24.

In short order, they went from potentially winning it all to heavily considering a franchise overhaul.

On Monday, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman caused a bit of stir when he disclosed on Sportsnet Radio in Toronto that it’s his understanding that the Leafs’ preference is to acquire a centre with term between now and the trade deadline.

With that in mind, Chris Drury and the New York Ranges should enter the chat.

It would be a complicated deal to put together, but at the very least, I think the Leafs should inquire on Mika Zibanejad’s availability.

For what it’s worth, one source with strong knowledge of the situation indicated to me that the 31-year-old pivot is available for trade and is willing to waive his no movement clause for the right spot.

With five years and $8.5 million per season left on his contract, the Rangers could be desperate to shock their core, and if that’s the case, the Leafs should act accordingly.

Naturally, as mentioned, from a pure salary cap point of view, a deal of this magnitude would be hard to put together in-season. That said, I don’t think it’s impossible. Stranger things have happened in this weird NHL world.

On paper, for all intents and purposes, Zibanejad would tick a lot of boxes for Craig Berube and company up the middle. He’s big, he’s dynamic, he shoots right, and maybe most notably, he’s not a ghost in the postseason. In 74 career playoff games, the Swede has tallied 63 points.

At this point, there’s no question that Zibanejad’s in dire need of a change of scenery and could be motivated greatly by a move out of Broadway. That team is a disaster. On top of that, I think the asking price would be reasonable. In fact, depending on how desperate they are to make a seismic deal, I wonder if they would even be open to eating salary in a potential deal. You never know unless you call.

Any way you slice it, whether they actually pursue someone like Zibanejad or not, the Leafs will have to be creative with their centre search. They need to think outside the box.